Spring-mattress fabric.



F. A. DONNELLY & J. E. BLANTHORN.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. DONNELLY, or NEW YORK, AND JOHN E. smn'rnonn, or BROOKLYN, NEW

. YORK.

SPRING-MATTRESS FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Application filed September 7, 1911. Serial No. 648,168.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. DONNELLY and JOHN E. BLANTHORN, citizens of the United States, residin respectively, at New York, in'the county 0 New York and State of-New-York, and Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-Mattress Fabrics, of which tress by reason of the construction-of the spring mattress is very great.v Not only is this the case, but the spring mattresses, by

reason of their construction, are noisy and rattle very much in use, and in many of ,them the helical springs draw the fabric on an angle instead of in parallel lines.

The object of the present improvement, therefore, is to do away with these disadvantages and provide a spring mattress in which the tension imparted thereto bythe helical springs is not only in straight lines, but

owing to the construction of the mattress a larger supporting surface for the stuffed mattress is-provided, sothat wear thereon is largely eliminated, while at the same time the members composing the spring mattress are so formed and connected that while the structure has considerable flexibility it is practically noiseless and without any rattling in use, and in which also the use of connecting plates for joining the members composing the structure is entirely avoided.

lVhile the present improvement has all of the advantages hereinbefore set forth, it also has the further advantage .of being a comparatively inexpensive fabric to manufacture, owing to the fact that the members can be readily stamped out of sheet metal and quickly assembled.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating this improved spring mattress fabric stretched between the usual supporting means provided for that purpose; Fig. 2 is an enlargedtop view of one portion thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the end cross members; Fig. 4 is a view of a pair of such end cross members in position; Fig. 5 is a view illustrating several of the members connected together; and Fig. 6 is a view of one of the intermediate cross or transverse members.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures of the drawings.

In the present improvement the usual spring mattress supporting frame may be used, and this comprises a pair of cross or transverse angle bars or members 2 having brackets 3 for the reception of the longitudinally extending rods 4 for maintaining such bars properly spaced when the fabric 1s in position.

The improved spring mattress fabric, in the embodiment shown, is made up of flat strips of metal'which are in the main all of substantially the same length and width, it being preferred, however, to form the strips which constitute the end cross strips of the fabric somewhat wider. In the present improvement the fabric is made up of a series of transverse or cross strips 6,- the ends of which are preferably bent or turned down, as at 7, thereby to reinforce them. and provided with a slot or openv ing 8,-and of a series of lengthwise extending strips 9, the ends of which are preferably bifurcated, as at 10, to form projections 11, each for insertion into an angularformed slot 8 of one of the cross strips; so that, it will be observed, each lengthwise extending strip 9 connects at each end thereof a pair of cross strips 6, while each cross strip 6 in turn connects at its end a pair of lengthwise v extending strips 9. The

flanged or bent down ends of the cross strips 6 reinforce the ends of such strips,while the bent ends 11 are, after their insertion into theopenings 8 of the cross strips, so bent upon the strip 9 as to properly articulate the several strips. Each cross strip 6 that projects to the outer edge of the mattress is provided with a pair of slots 12 for the refabric is connected by a helical spring 14- With the cross bars 2, for which purpose these end strips 9 and 9 are provided with openings 15 at the flanged ends thereof. Thus, it will be observed that the tension impartedto the fabric by means of the helical springs is in straight lines. To give increased tension to the structure supplemental strips 16 may be provided, likewise having bifurcated ends ,17 adapted to be hooked into openings 18 of the end cross strips 6, and to these strips 16 helical springs19 are also connected. At the outer side edges of the structure all of the marginal crossing ortransverse strips 6 and 6 are preferably bent upon themselves, as at 20, to form a neat end to the strips. .All of the strips are formed of flat metal, and when articulatedin the manner shown, or in any equivalent manner, provide a structure which is extremely flexible, while at the same time it is practically noiseless, so that it will not rattle in use; and by articulating the strips in the manner shown and described the fabric may be formed of flat stock, so that a larger bearing surface is presented to the stuffed mattress, thus materially increasing the wear of the latter. Furthermore by forming the structure of flat strips and articulating them in the manner herein set forth, the use of connecting plates, which are noisy and increase the wear upon the stuffed mattress, is entirely done away with. v

It will, of course, be understood that the various details of the structure may be more or less 'modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present improvement.' For instance, the bifurcated ends m ght be formed on the ends of the crosswlse extending strips while the slots mightbe formed in the lengthwise extending strips, and the slots in the ends of the lengthwise extending strips could be of other forms if preferred, but in the embodiment shown they have been found to be extremely practical and easy to manu- Each lengthwise ex- 1 facture, and capable of withstanding a great dealmore weight than the usual construction of fabrics Without getting out of. shape, and by reason of the fact'that the links of which the structure is formed are made of fiat metal or stock a great deal more bearing surface is presented to the stuffed mattress, so that the. structure 1s very comfortable to sleep upon.. It -;w1ll

also. be observed that in the present im-..

supported thereby and made up of sets of parallel short lengthwise extending flat metalstrips and sets of parallel short-cross wise extending flat metal strips, eachj fset of such lengthwise and crosswise extend:

ing strips comprising a series of "independent short flat strips located end to end,'the

adjoining ends of a pair of crosswiseand lengthwise extending: strips having an articulated connection whereby each short crosswise and lengthwise extending strip is flexible at its articulated end, each such short member of a single integral structure having at both ends means integral therewith for effecting such articulation.

2. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and made up of sets of short lengthwise extending flat members and sets of short transversely extending flat members, each set of such lengthwise and transversely extending members comprising a series of such members located end to end, each'pair of lengthwise extending members and each pair of transversely extending members being articulated together at their ends by hooks carried by a pair of such members projecting into openings carried'by a com-- panlon pair of such-members.

3. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and inadeup of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending strips directly articulated one with another by projections of one strip extending into openings of a pair of companion strips so that the end of one strip will be articulated wit-h the ends of a pair of companion strips extending at right angles thereto. v i

4:. A} spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric suspensively supported thereby and made up of sets of parallel short lengthwise extending flat metal strips and sets of parallel short crosswise extending flat metal strips, each set of such lengthwise and crosswise extending strips comprising a series of independent short flat strips located end to end, a pair thereof having angular formed slots and a pair thereof having hooks extending into such slots thereby to form an articulated connection whereby each short by crosswise and lengthwise extending strip is flexible at its articulated end.

5. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and made up of sets of short lengthwise extending flat members and sets of short transversely extending fiat members, each set of such lengthwise and transversely extending members comprising a series of connected members located end to end, the transversely extending members at the ends of the fabric having greater width than the intermediate transversely extending members and having at the marginal ends thereof ,a pair of openings for the reception of the bent ends of oppositely extending flat metal strips.

6. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending strips, the marginal transverse strips having the ends thereof bent upon themselves.

7. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending strips, each marginal transverse strip having at its outer end a pair of slots for the reception of oppositely ext-ending lengthwise strips.

8. A spring mattress comprising ./sup-.

porting means and. a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending strips, the strips extending in one direction having flanged ends and a slot and the strips extending in the other direction having hooks .adapted to enter such slots.

9. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up "of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending members, the members extending in one direction having slots and the members extending in the other direction having hooked ends for projection into said slots, and helical springs connected to some of the lengthwise extending members for imparting tension thereto, said fabric having supplemental lengthwise extending flat members at the ends of the fabric for connection with helical springs, all of said flat members at the ends of the fabric being located in parallelism.

10. A spring mattress comprising supversely extending members, the members extending in one direction having slots and the members extending inthe other direction having hooked ends for pI'OJGCtlOn 1nto said slots, and helical springs connected to some of the lengthwise extending members for imparting tension thereto, said fabric having supplemental lengthwise extending flat members at the ends of the fabric for connection with helical springs, each of said I supplemental members having connection with a transversely extending flat member by an opening or openings formed in one and a hook or hooks carried by the other.

11. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up of fiat lengthwise extending and transversely extending members, the transversely extending members having at each end thereof one or more openings and the lengthwise extending members having at each end thereof one or more hooks projecting into said openings, the transverse members forming the ends of the fabric having greater width than the intermediate members and each having at its end a pair of openings, each of the transversely ex tending members having flanged ends.

12. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up i of flat lengthwise extending and transversely extending members, the transversely extending members having at each end thereof one or more openings and the lengthwise extending members having at each endthereof one or more hooks projecting into said openings, the transverse members forming the ends of the fabric having greater width than the intermediate members and each having at its end a pair of openings, each of the transversely extending members having flanged ends and each of the transversely extending members projecting to the edge of the fabric having its outer end bent upon itself.

13. A spring mattress comprising supporting means and a fabric secured thereto and stretched under tension and made up of fiat lengthwise extending andtransversely extending members, the transversely extending members having at each endthereof one or more openings and the lengthwise extending members having at each end thereof one or more hooks projecting into said openings, the transverse members forming the ends of the fabric having greater width than the intermediate members and each having at its end a pair of openings, each of the transversely extend- 4 1.,oa2,'4ee

ing members hating reinforcecl ends and Signed at N'GWVYOIA' ficity this 2ndday of each of the transversely extending mem- September 1911.

bers projecting to the edge of the fabric FRANK A. DONNELLY.

having its outer end bent upon itself, and JOHN E. BLANTHORN. 5 supplemental fiat members articulated with Witnesses:

the wider transversely extending members FRED J. FLEMMING;

for the reception of helical springs. ALEX J. SOTTONG.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

